Fried Squid

These bigger squids are very good for frying. No matter how you plan to cook the squid, they will have to be cleaned. Don't be squeamish... remember - you're bigger than they are! Just follow the instructions at the bottom of page and you have cleaned squid, ready for cooking.

Ingredients:

2 pounds of squid

1 tsp tumeric powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Rice flour and cornflour for dredging (all-purpose flour can be used)
oil for frying

Method:

Preheat a deep skillet or heavy-bottomed frying pan over low heat. (Alternatively, preheat a deep fat fryer.)

If working with frozen rings, defrost per package instructions. Otherwise, clean and prepare squid for frying (see Instructions below), keeping the tentacles in one piece if they are small and if they are larger, cut them in pairs.

Season with salt, pepper and tumeric powder.

Pour 1/2 to 3/4 inch of oil into the frying pan /wok (it should not come up to over half the depth of the pan) and turn up the heat to high.

Dredge the squid in flour and let sit for a few minutes. Gently shake off excess flour and, when the oil is hot, fry without crowding in the pan until crisp and golden brown on all sides. (beware and be cautious, as splatter might occur)

Remove with a spider strainer and drain on baking rack which has been lined with paper towels.

Notes:

About dredging:

I find that putting the flour in a plastic bag, adding the squid, and shaking gently to coat does a better job than just rolling the pieces in the flour.

Leaving the squid in the flour until slightly soggy, and then frying, produces a nice crisp result.

About frying:

Frying each batch of squid lowers the heat of the oil. Allow the oil to get hot again before adding the next batch.

Instructions for cleaning fresh squid

Holding the body firmly, grasp the head and pull gently, twisting if necessary, to pull the head away from the body without breaking the ink sac. The internal body and tentacles will come with it.

Cut the tentacles from the head just below the eyes. At the center of the tentacles is a small beak. Squeeze to remove and discard.

Set aside the the tentacles to use (they're edible and tasty). If the recipe calls for ink, reserve it, otherwise discard the head and ink sac.

At the top of the body, there is a clear piece of cartilage. Pull it out and discard.

If the squid has an outer spotted membrane-type skin, pull it off and discard.

Under cold running water, wash the tube carefully, inside and out, to get rid of any sand or other remaining tissues, and wash the tentacles carefully as well.

For larger squid, split the body in half and score the inside of squid with a sharp knife, then cut into bite size. Scoring in diamond cuts will give the squid pieces a pretty curled pattern when cooked or fried. The pattern is good as it will coat up sauces used and make the squid good eats.

Let the squid drain very well. Pat dry with kitchen towel, as dry as possible.. (To ensure less splatter when frying)

Serves